Polson company hit with EPA fines

LAKESIDE — A Lakeside developer and Polson construction company are being fined after dredged or fill material was dumped in Flathead Lake on the West Shore. The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday, Dec. 9, that it had issued a complaint and consent agreement with Lakeside Club developer Montana Eagle Development, LLC, and McCrumb Construction & Marine, Inc., for violations of the Clean Water Act.

The alleged violations took place when McCrumb Construction was renovating the Lakeside Marina south of Caroline Point in November of 2007. The marina is owned by Montana Eagle Development. Though the developer secured a permit for the renovation project, neither company got the required permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deposit the material in the lake.

The EPA alleges that at least 400 cubic feet of dredged material was discharged. As part of a settlement, the companies will pay a $15,000 penalty.

“The unauthorized actions of Montana Eagle Development and its contractors led to localized impacts on aquatic habitat and water quality in Flathead Lake,” said Art Palomares, EPA’s regional water enforcement director, in a press release. “The EPA will continue to pursue actions against those who violate federal laws that protect Montana’s waters.”

An additional company, Dockmaster, Inc., opted not to participate in the settlement, and the EPA entered a separate complaint against it on Oct. 28. The EPA proposes Dockmaster pay a separate $10,000 penalty. Contracted by McCrumb for the work on the Lakeside Marina, Dockmaster owned and operated the barge used in the renovation, and the material was allegedly discharged under its direction, according to the EPA.